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Since 1845, Scientific American has offered readers compelling articles that are, admittedly, partial. Partial, that is, in favor of science. But all that may soon change. In an editorial dated April 1st, editor-in-chief John Rennie wondered if perhaps the magazine should, in proper journalistic fashion, get a little balance. After all, if you believe some politicians, global warming is a hoax. Rennie lets Brooke in on the joke.
John Stossel, co-host of ABC's 20/20, has consistently been a vocal skeptic of the dangers posed by global warming. And his show has featured scientists and fiction writers who echo his skepticism. When we spoke to journalist and author Ross Gelbspan about global warming last year, he warned us about Stossel's ilk. Brooke gives Stossel a chance to refute Gelbspan's claims that global warming is irrefutable. ARTIST: Soul Coughing TRACK: Soft Serve ALBUM: Irresistible Bliss LABEL: Warner Brothers BREAK I: ARTIST: Ben Allison & Medicine Wheel TRACK: Love Chant Ring Necks ALBUM: Riding the Nuclear Tiger LABEL: Palmetto Jazz
Recently, we've been hearing a lot about the P.R. tool called the "video news release," or VNR. It's a sponsored module designed to look like real news, and distributed to TV stations in the hopes that producers will insert them into newscasts. But lately, some VNR producers are producing their own newscasts, and buying airtime so there's no doubt they'll run. Brooke talks to Broadcasting & Cable columnist Joe Mandese about the latest wrinkle in fake news.
As the electronic media universe becomes more fractured, and less bound by the physical confines of TVs and radios themselves, traditional methods of gauging audiences are quickly becoming defunct. Enter Arbitron, with a brand new device that will be worn by volunteers, and record every second of audible media they encounter throughout the day. New York Times Magazine contributing writer Jon Gertner tells Brooke about the ramifications of the "portable people meter." ARTIST: Ben Allison & Medicine Wheel TRACK: Kush ALBUM: Third Eye LABEL: Palmetto Jazz
If all goes according to plan, the summer of 2006 will see Philadelphia become the largest wireless internet zone in the world. The citywide initiative will allow Philadelphians to affordably access internet as easily as they can any other public utility. Internet service providers have nearly sidetracked the project with legal challenges, but the city's chief information officer Dianah Neff explains to Brooke why the digital city's time has come. ARTIST: Weezer TRACK: Only in Dreams ALBUM: Weezer LABEL: Geffen BREAK II: ARTIST: Ben Allison & Medicine Wheel TRACK: Riding the Nuclear Tiger ALBUM: Riding the Nuclear Tiger LABEL: Palmetto Jazz
The wonderful world of television could soon be getting more colorful. And we're not talking about dirty language. A company called Genoa Technologies has figured out a way to add cyan and yellow to TV's traditional palate of red, green and blue. The result? Instead of the current paltry 16.8 million colors, monitors will be able to display a trillion colors. A trillion colors!!!
Network television was built around the 30-second ad spot. But that model is no longer working. Audiences are shrinking, ads are being skipped, and marketers are beginning to worry. And the New Media Order is fast approaching, with innovations like podcasting, videologs, and video-on-demand. Will the new media revolution be a violent and destructive one? What happens if the old advertising model collapses before the brave new world is fully prepared? Bob Garfield's answer: Chaos.
Highlights from Past ShowsFor the past two months, one of the hottest prime-time attractions in Iraq has been a reality TV show called "Terror in the Hands of Justice." The show airs twice a day on the state-run Al Iraqiya, and features captured insurgents staring into the camera and confessing to their crimes. Financial Times Baghdad correspondent Steve Negus tells Bob about the show's impact on Iraqi society.
Anybody watching TV coverage of the Terri Schiavo legal wrangling this week was most likely left with the impression of a nation divided down the middle over what should be done. But that picture doesn't match public opinion poll data, which suggest an overwhelming majority of Americans side with Shiavo's husband. Brooke talks to Salon senior writer Eric Boehlert about why news organizations are ignoring their own research. David Berkman “Tiny Prairie Landscape” Album: Handmade Label: Palmetto Jazz
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
